Number of Swine Flu cases in the U.S. rises

By IBT Staff Reporter On 04/26/09 AT 10:22 PM

The Swine flu that hit Mexico has now hit the U.S. and there are more than 20 reported cases.

In Mexico at least 86 people have died and now people in Kansas, California, Texas and Ohio are infected. On Sunday the federal government declared a public health emergency Sunday to respond to the outbreak.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it. Several governors requested medication and masks.

The outbreak is being monitored by health officials nationwide saying it was a not a question of whether their state would be affected but when cases would surface.

Health officials along the U.S.-Mexico border were asking health care providers to take respiratory samples from patients who appear to have the flu. Travelers were being asked if they visited flu-stricken areas.